Roots of Yoga

Discussing the Origins of Yoga

It was an honour to be part of this evening with two academics, James Mallinson and Mark Singleton, reflecting on the work behind their bookRoots of Yoga. The discussion took place in the members' room at the New York Society Library.

Yoga is hugely popular around the world today, yet until now little has been known of its roots. This book collects, for the first time, core teachings of yoga in their original form, translated and edited by two of the world’s foremost scholars of the subject. Sir James Mallinson is a lecturer in Sanskrit and Classical and Indian Studies at SOAS, University of London; Mark Singleton is a long-term research fellow at the American Institute of Indian Studies. They are joined in conversation by Daniel Simpson.

A downloadable audio file is available below.

AUDIO

Further Reading

Control of the breath - or pranayama - is one of the earliest recorded forms of yogic practice. It was described by the Buddha, and in Vedic Upanishads, which describe how it helps to train the mind. The ultimate aim of manipulating breathing is to eliminate obstacles to getting absorbed in meditation. In contrast to the modern fixation on bodily postures, the defining practice in ancient texts is pranayama.